Despite some teething problems, From Software managed to kick off its Nintendo Switch 2 network test for The Duskbloods on Friday.

The test, which VGC was able to play extensively before release during a From Software studio visit, features a portion of the content set to be included in the final game, which is due for release sometime this year.

Notably, it includes only one of the three maps set for launch, according to From, and six of the ten characters planned for the game.

Game balance and other aspects may also change in the final game, it told VGC, including the amount of Virtue awarded for certain actions and changes to weapons and skills.

In the final game, the final phase of matches may also become a boss battle different from those already roaming the game world, according to From, with three players teaming up instead of taking on each other.

Perhaps the most significant content missing from The Duskbloods network test is related to customization and story. In the final game, players will earn rewards for participating in Dusk Battles, unlock character customization elements, and advance the story of the game in the hub area, the House of Night.

Director Hidetaka Miyazaki told VGC in a recent interview that while the player build loadouts are set in the network test version of Duskbloods, in the final game, “there is a large element of player customization”.

“You have to customize your Bloodsworn with which weapons and skills they hold and take into each match,” he explained.  “One of these customization elements is actually which event you prefer. So which event you want to see come up more, and one of these events could be the final phase being a boss battle rather than a three-way match, something like this.

“So, these player tendencies. This is one area that the matchmaking will be looking at and trying to pool players of like mind together.”

Despite being a multiplayer game, Miyazaki also claims that The Duskbloods will include a comparable amount of text and lore to his single-player games, like Elden Ring and Bloodborne.

“In the network test, there’s not a lot of these lore elements. But it’s something that we’re concentrating on for the full release, and we look forward to players discovering a lot about these different characters,” he said.

“They’ve all been prepared with their own backgrounds, their own personalities and settings, and there’s a lot of relationships between the Bloodsworn and their blood families, their blood ties. We hope players will pick up more on these histories and these backgrounds of the characters as they play.

“In terms of sheer volume of text and lore to dig through, I feel like it compares to our titles up until now. So I think there’ll be, as you unlock more about these characters and you uncover more of their narratives, there’s going to be a lot of a lot to dig through and enjoy there, and discover the connections between the Bloodsworn and their histories.”